Leibniz’s Monadology
A VERY brief overview of G.W. Leibniz’s metaphysical text
Introduction
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher. In 1720, he published a metaphysical text titled ‘Monadology’ as a response to Caretsian Dualism. In the text, he writes about the meaning of monads, followed by a discussion about the Creator, and ends with an explanation of the world with the former two.
Leibniz is known as a monist because he believed there to be a single element that constitutes all existent substances.
(You can read about Cartesian Dualism in here)
Defining ‘Monad’
As per Leibniz, ‘Monad’ was an indivisible, part-less building block of all substances. Of the vital properties of monads are their self-propelling nature (monads drive/power themselves and are not acted on by external forces) and their identical structure (all monads are alike). Monads are both self-contained and self-sufficient.
Kinds of ‘Monad’
Leibniz believed there to be a three-tiered hierarchy of monads. This division was done on the basis of different degrees of perfection of monads, which reflects their cognitive abilities.
- Created monads or entelechies
- Perceiving monads or souls (entelechies with memory and perception)
- Rational monads or rational souls/spirits
(As per Merriam Webster dictionary, the Greek word entelechy means ‘the actualization of form-giving cause as contrasted with potential existence’)
Monad, Soul and Reason
All animals consist of perceiving monads as they have souls, believed Leibniz. But since humans have the added component of rationality, they are composed of rational monads.
God As The Source Of Monads
God is the creator of monads, said Leibniz with the following chain of reasoning -
Similar to the relationship between an inventor and their machine is the relationship of God with humans. God is the one who enables humans (composed of rational monads) to communicate with each other.
Our universe, created and controlled by God, is perfect. And so is God — perfect, limitless, universal and vital. Humans are able to identify these attributes of God by the virtue of them being composed of rational monads.
End Note
In the end of his text, Leibniz images a city in which God is a monarch and the subjects are all moral. This is a vision of natural perfection. God is the sole and ultimate creator and lawmaker.
For more information on Monadology, you can refer to these links:
